Great Tools Have a Purpose

• Music is a great tool to evoke emotions and provide context to your content

• However, great tools are not great for every job

• People have developed habits in the way the browse the web

• Some listen to music, some browse on their mobile devices and some use public wi-fi on a regular basis

• So, it may not be the best idea to automatically play music in the background of your website

• Here’s why…

People Listen to Music While They Work

• A poll conducted by css-tricks.com showed that over 90% of people listen to music while they work online

• Even though this is a convenience sample, it shows the existence of a popular practice

People Listen to Music While They Work

• Having auto play music on a website interrupts a web browsing experience

• This interruption could cause negative feelings to be connected to the organization’s website and brand

Public Web Browsing

• Many public places such as cafes and stores have free wi-fi access to customers

• There are also over 25% of people accessing the internet through their mobile phones.

Public Web Browsing

• When a person accesses a site which plays music automatically in public, it could cause a moment of surprise and embarrassment if their speakers are at a loud volume.

• This surprise and subsequent embarrassment can be associated with the brand’s website by the web visitor.

Auto Play Music Can Hurt SEO

• In 2010, Google included site load times into search results and page ranking factors.

• Auto play music on your site is another thing to load and can significantly reduce your site’s load time.

Auto Play Music Can Hurt SEO

• Slow load times equals a lower search rank

Overall, Suggest To Not Include Auto Play Music in Your Site

• … If auto play music makes sense to your business, it may be expected by your web visitor in some cases

• However, it is recommended that you offer your site visitors an option for background music and to have volume controls available if the visitor chooses to turn the music on or off

But…

Think about the experience you want your website visitors to have

• Don’t be afraid to give visitors control over their experience

• If they want to listen to music, they will listen at their leisure.

• If they want to browse in public or through a mobile device, don’t deter them by forcing a desired experience with auto play background music

Thanks for reading!DueNorthAudio.com